NaNo Update #8

Oh, hey. Remember when I won NaNoWriMo?

Yep, yesterday I crossed the 50,000 word mark, which still feels sort of  surreal and very unbelievable.

November has been a month, let me tell you. Some crazy stuff has gone down recently (stuff I’ll probably blog about next week), and for a while there, I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to finish this NaNo thing. But, peer pressure community support is a beautiful thing, and I did not want to let down the awesome people who’ve spent all month cheering for me. I didn’t want to disappoint my husband and my daughter, who have been enthusiastically rooting me on (though neither of them gets that you don’t actually win, like, a trophy or money or whatever). And then there was my stubborn conscience and that pesky internal voice that wouldn’t shut up until I met my word count goal every. Single. Day.

That is why my word count bar graph looks so pretty and harmonious. I know myself, and if I would have fallen behind, there’s no way I would have had the motivation to catch back up.

So, that’s my NaNo tip, the one piece of advice I’d offer to anyone who felt crazy enough to give 50K words in 30 days a shot: Be consistent. Write every day. Bank words if you know you’ve got a busy weekend coming up, but still, try to up your count (at least a little) each day. Do NOT fall behind. Do NOT give up.

I feel it’s important to mention that my draft is not done. I’ve still got about 25K-30K to go, and then there’ll be plenty of revising to tackle. But National Novel Writing Month got my little story idea off the ground, gave it a heart and a life of its own, and now that I’m in deep, I know I’ll finish it. I love my characters too much to desert them now!

A big shout out and hearty congratulations to everyone else who has successfully completed NaNoWriMo, especially The English Badass Liz Parker, who somehow became my pace buddy over the course of the month and “won” yesterday too!

In other fun news, I got the coolest “K” mug from Kelsey Macke, my Sip Swap match. It’s big and has a graceful handle and is a lovely cerulean color inside. I adore it! And doesn’t Kelsey have the coolest stationary? Love!

Finally, I must wish the happiest of birthdays to my mom. She reads my blog and comments occasionally, and she’s about as supportive and amazing as they come. Happy birthday, Mom! I love you!

So, that’s my BIG Friday news. I’ve got lots of awesome on deck for next week, too, including an interview with a very savvy friend who’s got experience in all the major areas of publishing, as well a Bookanista recommendation of one of my favorite contemporaries of the year.

Have a fantastic weekend, lovelies! 

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43 thoughts on “NaNo Update #8”

  7. Ghenet Myrthil says:

    Congrats again! I’m so impressed that you managed to stay ahead the whole time, even in the midst of stressful weeks. You rock!!!

    Also, love your sip swap mug. I bought an initial mug for myself recently and it’s my favorite. 🙂

  8. Rebecca B says:

    You met your word count goal every day? My hero! Seriously: Congrats, Katy! That is an awesome achievement.

  11. Mrs. Silverstein says:

    Wow, that is a pretty graph. Mine is ugly and funky, but it’s also COMPLETE! (This post actually inspired to me to stop my internet break and go cross the finish line–thanks for providing the final boost!) Congrats again!

  14. Liz Parker (@LizParkerWrites) says:

    Congratulations! I don’t think I would have gotten through this month without your Tweets. 🙂 I still have a way to go to shape my draft up, but I’ve been so thankful for you this month! If you’re still up for swapping pages once you’re ready, let me know. I feel like it would be the perfect way to wrap up our 2012 NaNoWriMo.

    Also, I couldn’t agree with you more about writing every day and banking words. If I had fallen behind, I never would have caught up.

    Also also, I love your mug. 🙂

    • katyupperman says:

      Thanks so much, Liz, and ditto on the tweeting. 🙂

      Yes, I would definitely be interested in a swap… I’m SO intrigued by your project! Have you heard of the #JanPlan Christa Desir came up with? Basically, it’s a no-rules commitment to finish a project during the month of January. So, I hope to be done with the first complete and revised draft by the end of January. How’s that sound, tentatively?

  15. Jillian says:

    That is one ridiculously awesome graph! Mine has a fairly consistent slope too, but thanks to my rough start, it was also always consistently beneath the goal line (until today, hopefully! 3K more to go!). Congrats on winning and best of luck carrying on with the rest of your story!

    • katyupperman says:

      Thanks, Jillian! Since you *just* tweeted me, I now know that you finished and I’m SO proud of you! What a great month, and what a great feeling to be finished! Congrats!

  17. Elodie says:

    Where is your snippet? You know I loved your updates cause’ I got to see more of your writing (and of course because I got to see what you were up to :P).

    That is one beautiful graph, Katy! Again congrats on winning Nano. You rock.

    And….that cup is so stylish and cute 😀

    • katyupperman says:

      Aww, thanks, lovely! I should have posted a snippet, but I was just so excited to blog about being DONE (for now, anyway!). And yes, I love my new mug too. 🙂

  18. Kelsey says:

    Thank you for being a part of #sipswap, katy!! I’m so very happy that I drew your name and got to know you a little bit better! You’re wonderful, and I’m so glad you were able to participate!! 😀

    ❤

    • katyupperman says:

      It was a brilliant idea, Kelsey! So fun to shop for and send a gift, and then to wait for a surprise in the mail. I had a great time with it, and will definitely participate again!

  20. Pingback: 2012 in Review… | Katy Upperman
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